The purpose of this guide is to outline all the ways to obtain duty officers, especially high-quality and unique duty officers. This is not a general guide to the DOff system, but is intended to augment already existing general guides. This guide also is not a comprehensive list of every DOff in existence, though I encourage (but not envy) those who are attempting to compile such a list. This guide assumes the reader already has a basic understanding of the DOff system. If you’re looking for a general guide, I highly recommend the links below.

The Exchange – Buy and sell DOffs with other players for Energy Credits.

Starter packs
At level 8 as a Federation captain or level 23 as a KDF captain, a pack of 20 low quality duty officers is awarded. These officers are identical for everyone and they are all bound. Booster packs of 3 random, unbound duty officers are also awarded at certain milestones. These milestones for Federation captains are levels 12, 22, 32, and 42; for KDF captains the milestones are levels 24, 27, 32, and 42.

Recruitment assignments
The whole purpose of the recruitment category is recruiting crew, both DOffs and BOffs. The vast majority of DOffs in the game originate from these assignments.

Recruitment assignments come in three types. First is the basic recruitment assignment, which always results in a success and awards a Junior Officer Cadre inventory item that contains 5 DOffs. These are usually white quality, but have a small chance for higher quality. These packs have a very small chance to contain ultra-rare DOffs. This assignment can be found in and around the home planet of each faction, does not require any inputs of DOffs or supplies, and has a duration of 20 hours.

The second type of assignments is department- and race-specific assignments. Department-specific assignments appear in and around the home sectors and major starbases of each faction, while race-specific assignments only appear in the sector block that contains that species’s homeworld, or additionally on that homeworld itself. These do not require any DOffs to be assigned to them, award one or two DOffs of the specified department or race, and always result in a success or critical success, usually with a 9% or 10% chance to crit, which gives one or two extra DOffs, but does not guarantee higher quality DOffs. Most DOffs obtained by these assignments are white quality, with very small chances for higher qualities. The color of the assignment listed is the rarity of the assignment itself, not the DOffs it awards. The duration of these assignments is 2 days.

The third type of assignments is asylum assignments. These appear in the same sectors as the Cultural Exchange assignments and can award one DOff of a specific race of green quality or higher. They have a 20 hour duration and require a single refugee as an input. The quality and traits of that refugee influence the quality of the DOff reward. In this guide, traits that increase the chance of a blue or purple DOff reward are highlighed blue, while traits that increase the chance of a green DOff reward are highlighted green. Some of the KDF Asylum assignments can have a slightly different title, replacing “Asylum on…” with “Sanctuary with…” or “Protective Custody with…”, but for the purposes of this guide, they are listed only as “Asylum on…”.

Assignment formatting key
For the sake of communicating the most information in the least amount of space, and allowing for the low-tech options of a forum post, I am attempting to format assignment descriptions in a compact fashion, using color coding and a specific syntax. Below is a key and an example to this formatting scheme. I am still experimenting with how to best format this information, so feedback and suggestions for improvement are very welcome.

Assignment name: This is the name of the assignment. The color of the name indicates the assignment’s rarity. The assignment should appear in game with this exact name and color.Duration: This is how long it will take to complete this assignment once started. The format is a number followed by a letter, with the letter indicating the unit of time: m for minutes, h for hours, and d for days.Material components: This is a list of items or currencies that will be consumed by the assignment. It is usually an amount of credits or some sort of commodity.Personnel requirements: A breakdown of the officers required for the assignment. If the description is capitalized, then a specific specialization is required, otherwise it is one of the seven departments (tactical, security, engineering, operations, science, medical, civilian). If something in parentheses follows this entry, then it indicates that if that officer is a certain specialization, it will increase the success chance of the assignment, but only the previous entry which is not in parentheses is required.Critical traits: Traits which increase the critical chance are highlighted in green.Disaster traits: Traits which increase the disaster chance are highlighted in red.

If any of these entries are omitted, then they either are not present (usually material components), are not important enough to be included in this guide (usually traits), or are the same for every assignment in the list, which will be noted in the description preceeding the list (usually duration).

“Submit Feedback to Guide on Forums” is the assignment name, and the blue color indicates it’s a rare assignment.
“30m” is the duration, indicating 30 minutes.
“1 Communication Array” is the material component.
“1 Advisor” indicates that one Advisor is required.
“1 science” is not capitalized, indicating that one officer in the science department is required. It is followed by “(Research Lab Scientist)” in parentheses, indicating that if the officer is that specialization, it will increase the success chance, though any other science specialization can be used without that bonus.
“1 officer (Diplomat/Assault Squad Officer) indicates that 1 additional officer from any department is required, though if it is one of the specializations in parentheses, it will increase success chance.
“Congenial, Tactful, Teamwork” are highlighted green and therefore increase critical chance.
“Aggressive, Unruly” are highlighted red and therefore increase disaster chance.

Note that the above basic Recruitment section does not follow this formatting key, since it is simply a list of the assignment name, what it awards, and where it is found, since Recruitment assignments require no inputs at all. The below sections of this guide all follow this formatting key.

ADVANCED RECRUITMENT

Unique assignments
Currently, there’s one way to obtain a unique DOff that does not fit in any other category: the “Guinan” assignment. It’s very rare and can appear anywhere and can appear for either faction (though usually when it appears, only one faction is eligible at that time). Rulian Mazan, a purple quality El-Aurian bartender, joins your crew regardless of success or failure of the mission. This mission can only be done once, then never appears for that captain again. Oddly, Rulian Mazan is not bound, however she cannot be used by the opposite faction.

Colonial chain assignments
Every exploration zone has a chain of colonial missions. At the end of each chain is an assignment which grants a unique blue quality DOff. Each exploration zone has its own chain and its own unique DOff. Assignments are denoted as part of the chain by yellow text at the end of the description: “Completing this assignment will open up additional possible assignments within this star cluster.” Not only does completing the mission open up the next assignment in the chain, but also opens up other repeatable assignments that give minor CXP and other numeric awards.

Failing a chain assignment still unlocks the next step in the chain. The normal and elite versions of B’Tran and Azlesa zones share their respective chains. Though they are separate instances and offer different assignment lists, they share chain progression and only offer one unique DOff between them. Below is a list of the colony chain assignments, in order.

Renown: 15m; no requirements; awards the unique DOff of that exploration zone

Upon completion of the whole chain, an assignment is unlocked which awards refugees for the Federation version and prisoners for the KDF version. On a critical success, it grants a purple quality DOff with the same specialization and traits as the Renown DOff of that zone (with the exception of Arucanis Arm for Federation, which has different Renown and Support rewards). The Federation and KDF versions of this assignment are very different, and both are listed below.

Espionage assignments
Certain espionage assignments award DOffs. They all have durations of two days (except the Federation version of Negotiate Prisoner Exchange has a duration of 4 hours), appear infrequently, and have high chances of failure. However, the DOffs they award are usually high quality, and some of them, particularly Instigate Defection, have a chance to award a DOff from the opposing faction. The DOffs from Negotiate Prisoner Exchange and Extricate Intelligence Asset are not bound, while the DOffs from Instigate Defection are bound. Also, the Federation and KDF versions of Instigate Defection are not quite identical.

Commendation tier rewards
Each faction has a vendor that sells unique DOffs: Lieutenant Ferra at Starfleet Academy and Lieutenant S’stas at Klingon Academy. However, these DOffs are locked until certain commendation ranks are achieved. Each tier of each commendation category has a different set of 5 or more DOffs available at this vendor. Reaching a tier awards a token for one free DOff in the set, and unlocks the others for purchase with dilithium. Green DOffs cost 1000 dilithium, blue DOffs cost 6000 dilithium, and purple DOffs cost 12000 dilithium.

STF vendor
The STF vendors on DS9 sell Borg DOffs in exchange for the STF currency. Every successful STF completion rewards at least one Encrypted Data Chip, and possibly more if optional objectives are completed. There are a total of 8 Borg DOFFs available, 4 for each faction: blue and purple Security Officers, and blue and purple Projectile Weapons Officers. The blues cost 20 EDC each, and the purples cost 40 EDC each.

Unlike the DOFFs from the vendors at SF and KDF academies, these Borg DOFFs are not unique and you can have multiples of each.

Testing rewards
Players who tested the Duty Officer system while it was in beta on Tribble before the launch of season 5 may have been granted unique DOffs. These DOffs can be claimed in the C-Store. They include a Romulan explosives expert, an android (not Soong-type) engineer, and an assault officer, which is an Exocomp for Federation and an augmented Nausicaan for KDF.

C-Store
There’s a whole section on the C-Store for Duty Officers. Right now it only contains two Duty Officer Cadre packs, one for each faction, but it seems likely that more items will be added in the future. The Cadres function very similarly to the Cadres received by the basic Recruitment assignments, however they usually contain higher quality DOffs. These DOffs are not bound. It is unknown if these DOffs are the same as DOffs that can be obtained through other means in the game, or if there are some that can only be obtained through these C-Store Cadre packs. There’s also a small chance to acquire an ultra-rare unique DOff from these packs. The packs cost 220 points. According to the description in the store, the packs contain 4 white-quality DOffs, 2 green-quality or better DOffs, and 1 blue-quality or better DOff.

The Exchange
Last but certainly not least, DOffs can be bought and sold on The Exchange for energy credits. There’s a very high volume of DOffs available on The Exchange and the lack of filtering mechanisms often makes this a frustrating experience. Heretic has stated that he wishes to improve this functionality, but that it would be difficult and time-consuming to do so. Still, The Exchange as it is does work for buying and selling DOffs.

FAQ AND HINTS

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I get colonists?
The “Resettle Colonists” assignment awards 5 colonists, has a 4 hour duration, can appear anywhere, and has precisely a 24 hour cooldown from completion. Colonists are not bound.

I’m stuck on a colonial chain! What do I do?
The colonial chains have long cooldowns between assignments and have a fairly small chance to appear when they’re not on cooldown. “Fortify Colonies” is even more rare than the others, so it’s common to think you’re stuck when you’re waiting on that one. Just keep checking. Eventually you’ll be able to complete the chain.

I keep doing the same mission in the colonial chain over and over! Is it broken?
No, it’s not broken. Completing any of the first five colonial chain missions unlocks other nearly-identical repeatable missions, with identical requirements and rewards, but a slightly different name. If there is no yellow text in the description that reads, “Completing this assignment will open up additional possible assignments within this star cluster,” then it is not part of the chain and you have already completed that step in the chain.

Can Federation captains do colonial chains in the exploration zones in Klingon space?
Yes, but they need Diplomatic Immunity to enter Omega Leonis. KDF captains can do the colonial chain in Delta Volanis, but need Marauding Force to enter Sirius.

I got a DOff from the opposing faction, but when I try to send it on a mission, I can’t find it!
DOffs are faction specific. However, you can buy opposing faction DOffs from the Exchange or mail them to captains of the opposing faction, which leads to some confusion. Even though DOffs from the opposing faction will appear in your reserve roster, they cannot be put on active duty or sent on assignments and will not appear in the roster on the “Plan Assignment” tab. This also applies to colonists and prisoners.

I achieved a new commendation tier and claimed my free DOff, but I can’t purchase any others from that tier for dilithium!
Close the DOff purchase window and contact the vendor again. The unlocked tier will be at the bottom of the list for that commendation category, below the tiers for which you have not yet spent a free token.

Where do I get an EMH?
As you gain commendation tiers in the Medical, Military and Engineering commendation categories, you gain the ability to use your ship’s replicator to manufacture holograms of three specializations at increasingly higher cost and quality.

Where do I get refugees?
Refugees have a small chance to appear in most general or civilian recruitment assignments, however there are more reliable ways to recruit refugees. Federation captains can recruit refugees from the “Support Colonial Efforts” assignment, which is unlocked at the end of the colonial chains, and awards one refugee. Details on this assignment are in the section of this guide about colonial chains. Note that the KDF version of the “support” assignment awards prisoners, not refugees. KDF captains can recruit refugees from the below assignment, which appears randomly in sector space and awards three refugees on a critical success.

Where do I get prisoners?
KDF captains can get prisoners on normal successes from most Marauding assignments. Federation captains can get prisoners only from critical successes on certain military and espionage assignments. It’s much more difficult for Federation captains to acquire prisoners, but there are far fewer Federation missions that require prisoners as an input. Prisoners are not bound. Below is a list of known assignments that award prisoners on a critical success. It is suspected that more assignments also award prisoners on critical successes.

Military Offensive

Uncover Intelligence Leak

Where do I get contraband?
Contraband currently is not used to acquire duty officers in any way, but I am asked this question frequently, so I figured I’d answer it anyway.

KDF captains can get contraband from several Marauding assignments as well as the below Trade assignment. Federation captains can only get contraband from the below assignments, making it much more difficult for Federation captains to acquire substantial quantities of contraband. Contraband is an unbound inventory item and can be traded freely.

Someone told me a specific assignment is available. Why don’t I see it?
There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to see an assignment that others are reporting. You could be on cooldown for that assignment, it could be above your level range, it could be part of a chain and you are not on the same step, it could be a shipboard assignment which are not synchronized between players, or it could be a unique assignment that you have already completed. The more general Duty Officer guides linked at the beginning of this guide contain more information on these mechanics.

I have a completed assignment that awards officers/colonists/prisoners, but I can’t accept the rewards because it says my inventory is full, but my inventory isn’t full!
There are limits on the number of DOffs you can have in your reserve roster, colonists in your passenger space, and prisoners in your brig. Your reserve roster starts at a maximum of 100 and can be increased by purchases in the C-Store. Your passenger space and brig cap out at 20.

Improving Efficiency

There are many playstyles that work with the Duty Officer system, but if you find yourself frequently traveling across the galaxy in a single-minded search for the best assignments, these methods can help you do so more efficiently.

Chat with others. Join the DOFFJOBS channel, where players relay information about what and where assignments are available.

Level up. Your warp factor in sector space increases as you are promoted up the ranks. Moving around faster helps you find assignments more efficiently.

Diplomacy/Marauding transwarp abilities. Most tiers of Diplomacy and Marauding grant a new transwarp ability to a different location in the galaxy.

Astrometrics Officer. The active power of an Astrometrics Scientist reduces the cooldown time of all transwarp abilities.

Transwarp Coil. This console comes with the Advanced Heavy Cruiser in the C-Store and reduces the cooldown time of all transwarp abilities.

UNIQUE DUTY OFFICERS

This is a list of unique or bind-on-pickup duty officers. There’s only one way to acquire them, and with the exception of Rulian Mazan, they are all bound. An asterisk (*) indicates the DOff has a unique active power and not the normal active power of its specialization.